


Reune

by orphan_account



Category: The West Wing
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-10-01
Updated: 2004-10-01
Packaged: 2019-05-15 03:53:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14783114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sam is a Senator, and with the Bartlet administration at an end, Josh comes to him.





	Reune

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Author: Anne Marsh   
Title: Reune   
Rating: R (not at the moment, though)   
Pairing: Josh/Sam est. relationship   
Summary: Sam is a Senator, and with the Bartlet administration at an end, Josh comes to him.   
Series: First story of the reuniverse, currently the most involved story universe I've got, in which Josh and Sam will come out, get married, and do all sorts of stuff.   
Notes: Sam's POV. Post-Bartlet admin.   
Archive: Yes   
Feedback: Please

**Reune by Anne Marsh**

"Senator, there's a man outside to see you... he says he's a friend of yours?"

I waited. Eleanor was unforthcoming with a name. I cleared my throat. 

"And this friend is?"

"Oh! He says his name is Joshua Lyman?"

Holy deja vu, Batman. I leapt up and moved past her to the outer office, pulling Josh into a tight hug.

"You crazy bastard! What are you doing out here?"

He smiled and spoke softly. "I'm out. The new guys are in, and I-- I thought I'd just... show up."

"I can't believe this..." I laughed. I was now holding him at arm's length, looking him over. "You look good."

"Thanks. I-- I don't so much, really. You look great, though. Man... you are one studly studmuffin."

We both laughed, and I dragged him back towards my office. "Yeah, yeah. You want something passed through state legislation, don't you?"

"Oh, always." He shrugged. It was amazing how easy the banter was, after all the time we'd had to spend apart. "Nice office."

"Yeah, well... hey, you're not doing anything for dinner yet, are you?"

He gave me this incredulous, amused stare. "Not yet, no. But you should be aware I've got some tentative plans to see this Senator..."

"Josh..."

"Sam." He grinned.

"Hey, it's pretty late, and... I could knock off now, if you-- Where are you staying, and could you stay with me instead? I really need to talk to you... it's been a long time."

"Too long." He agreed. "Yeah, I'm not staying anywhere. My stuff's in the rental car. Everything else is... well, I was going to send for it as soon as I was settled." His demeanor turned light and playful. "Any place open near the ol' Seaborn mansion? Apartments, condos, anything?"

I shook my head. "Not now. We'll talk about everything tonight, we'll order in, anything you want, we'll talk about everything... Josh, I am so glad you came."

\---/-/---

Once we were home, alone, doors locked, my mouth was on his and I was peeling coat off. We parted to draw in ragged breaths, and he grinned at me with kiss-stung lips.

"Wow... I thought I remembered you being a good kisser, Sam, but that was..."

"Mm-hm?" I nibbled at his neck, until I found the spot under his jaw where I could feel his pulse.

"Oh! Fantastic..."

"Hungry?" I asked, still re-acquainting myself with his throat. 

"Starved." He gasped.

"I can order Chinese..."

"Not what I meant." He shook his head, pulling me back up and into a deep kiss. "Sam, what was I doing without you?"

"I don't know." I melted against him. "Clue me in?"

"Not a whole heck of a lot, except work." He chuckled. "Dreaming about you... about this... Oh, and jacking off a lot."

I laughed. "Well... I don't think I expected you to come right out and say it."

"We said we'd wait for each other." He shrugged. "You didn't jack off?"

"No." I was still shaking with laughter. "I did, yeah... I just-- I can't believe this is what we're talking about."

"You're right. We shouldn't be talking about masturbation now that this day has finally come. We should be ravishing each other. Where's your bedroom?"

I laughed again, until tears came to my eyes. "I miss your special brand of frankness, Josh."

He grinned. "Yeah, I miss your-- well... I miss a lot about you." His hand slipped down to squeeze my hip. "You, me, bed, now?"

Now that his eyes had gone all sultry, it left me grinning like an idiot, as I pulled him up the staircase, kissing him fiercely every few steps.

\---/-/---

I felt supremely relaxed and satiated as I lay there, in the cozy afterglow of coital Joshbliss, our arms around each other.

"Sam..." He murmured, his hand resting on the side of my head. His other hand was at the small of my back, his arm trapped beneath my waist.

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do? About us, about-- about everything?"

I kissed him and pulled him close, my arms wrapped around him. "Josh... it's going to be okay... I'll find a way to come out to the public, and we'll-- We'll get married. I mean it, the whole nine yards, we'll each get a best man, and maybe another attendant, and we'll have all our friends, everyone from the Bartlet White House-- And it'll be just fine. It'll be better than fine."

"Sam, you're looking at the world through rose-colored glasses." He reminded me.

"Yeah, well... after making love to you, it's kind of hard to see things as being anything less than ideal." I kissed him, lips soft on his, and he melted, surging up as I broke the kiss.

"Okay, you got me. It'll be fine. Somehow."

"We always said we would. We said it before I left."

"I know."

"I'll introduce you to some people, you can get a job here. Unless you want to play happy homemaker, that is."

"A job would be good." He snorted. "Honestly, can you see me in an apron?"

"That depends..." I teased. "Is it like a french maid apron? And if so, is it *only* the apron? Because I could definitely see that..."

"Sam Seaborn, remind me never to explore your kinky side without a map. If I'm gonna dress up as something for you, I'd really rather it be like a pirate or something. Not a french maid. And naughty nurse is definitely out."

"Aww... and I so had this fantasy of you--"

He laughed, covering my mouth with his palm. "No. Definitely no! That's so not funny, Sam..."

"You wanna do pirates?" I asked him, when he finally removed his hand from my mouth.

He shrugged. "I'm just sayin'-- better pirates than french maids. That's where I stand."

"Pirates could be fun." I shrugged. "Adventure, swordfights..."

He bobbed his eyebrows, making me laugh.

"Treasure." I eyed him appreciatively.

"Yarr!"

Which made me laugh even harder, until I wound up gasping. "Okay, okay... I think the two of us dressing up like pirates is going to be wa-a-ay too silly to be considered sexy."

He nodded. "Right. But I still say we keep our eyes open around Hallowe'en, when those superstores are open. I know, I know, pirates is going to make us laugh our collective booty off--"

"Joshua Lyman, was that a pun?" I accused, sniggering.

"But I remember last Hallowe'en, they had this, um, biker stuff..." He avoided eye contact. "I mean, you know, just as an example. So, certainly, one could find *anything* in the Hallowe'en superstore."

"If your fetish involves the Scream killer." I joked. Then, "Biker stuff, Josh?"

"Look, it's not a thing, you know? I don't have a biker-- thing. Like, at all. But, um, you in tight leather pants... that wouldn't be so bad. And, you know, maybe one of those little hats they have, and maybe-- *maybe*-- one of those studded collars, and--"

I raised an eyebrow, and he turned red.

"You know, just tossing thoughts out there. Brainstorming. We certainly don't need anything. I mean, all the time we've been apart, the fact that we are now in the same room is currently all the spice our love life requires. I'm just saying, the leather pants would be a definite yes, and the other things would be, like, if you wanted to pretend to pick me up for sex, and I could pretend you were dangerous, and we'd get all hot and sweaty, and then we'd totally ruin the fantasy by getting seriously cuddly, which, you know, leather-clad bad boys probably don't do after hot, sweaty sex with cheap tricks from bars..."

"In this fantasy, you're a cheap trick I meet in a bar?"

"A pretend bar." He clarified. "You know, the kitchen is the bar, and then the bathroom is-- the bathroom in the bar. And the-- the entryway or something, is a dark alley behind the bar, and the bedroom is a cheap motel room..."

"You've got a whole red light district in my house."

"You asked." He said defensively. "It just came to mind, that's all."

"Josh..." I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into another embrace. "I tell you what... we have nearly a *year* before Hallowe'en... so until then, my house remains my *house*-- *our* house-- and not a red light district. And then... if October rolls around... and anything should... come to mind? This house can be whatever you want it to be."

He shrugged. "I like it being our house, Sam. And honestly, that's been my fantasy ever since you left. Our. House. But... you'll wear the leather pants? Because that's all I really wanted. You know, just once in a while, at home, because you would look so *good* in tight leather pants..."

"I will wear the leather pants." I laughed, kissing the top of his head. "But we're still buying them in October-- A state Senator can hardly walk into a place and buy a pair of leather pants. That sort of thing would make the news. And I really don't need the news speculating on our sex life..."

"But you want to marry me. You don't think that's a conflict of interests?"

"Love life and sex life is different. I don't care if they print that I'm in love with you-- I am in love with you. And I want to marry you more than anything. And yes, the general assumption of the public that will follow is that we'll be having sex. But that gets left at that. If I buy leather pants with no upcoming publicly- acknowledged dressing-funny occasion, they'll intimate that it's because we have a kinky sex life. And that's not any of their business."

"Are we going to have a kinky sex life?"

I shrugged. "Maybe next year. I think for now, we'll be fine with what we've always done..."

"Oh, more than fine." He murmured his assent, welcoming a kiss as I rolled to lie atop him.

\---/-/---

I had yet to come out. Rather, *we* had yet to come out. Since we were still in the closet, Josh and I were making only the sketchiest of wedding plans. The moment had yet to present itself, and when I came out to the public that had voted me into office, it had to be ideal-- as ideal as the situation could be. Of course, Josh was incredibly understanding-- he hadn't been pushing for me to come out while in office at all, but I didn't want to wait on him.

He had a post office box and a cell phone, and was living with me under the radar. I had introduced him around-- as much as I would have loved to take him on somewhere, it just wouldn't be ethical, at least, no one would think so once we came out, so he was looking at employment opportunities in the area that didn't involve being a part of a Senatorial staff.

So... where was I, time-wise? About a week since he'd arrived in town.

The phone rang, during Eleanor's lunch break, and I picked it up.

"Senator Sam Seaborn's office, Senator Sam Seaborn speaking."

I heard Josh's laugh on the other end. "Sounds like I called alliteration central. You should find a synonym for 'office' that begins with an 'S'."

"Hey." I felt a grin spread over my face. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Joshua?"

"Well, Samuel," I could hear his answering smile. "If you can make the time, I would like to buy you lunch. You see, I have just been hired on to work as a consultant on constitutional law. Doing things with big books. I could only coast along on my charm for so many years, Sam."

"Hey, congratulations!" I pushed things around on my desk, straightening up. "Yeah, meet me in a few, I'd love to have lunch. I have a meeting at two, so until then, we've got time."

\---/-/---

Lunch was good. Seeing Josh-- not that it had been that long-- was great. We talked about his new position-- excellent for starting, and with a surprisingly good salary.

"Well, then you can take me out to lunch more often." I joked, hearing the number.

"Oh, because you're struggling so." He jibed, lifting his glass in a mock-toast.

"So we'll have quite the exorbiant disposable income. That's what the Republican party claims being a gay couple is all about." I said under my breath, grinning wickedly.

He laughed. "We can use the extra money to buy lots of presents. I'll get you a boat for Christmas."

"You're not going to be able to afford the boat I want by Christmas." I informed him, without betraying the grin that had been a pretty constant threat during our conversation. Pretty constant all week, actually. "We can give money to good causes. I already support HRC, ACLU, the WWF, and PETA, but we could support them more."

"WWF? Wrestling?"

"Wildlife."

He grinned. "What about PBS? NPR? Or the national endowment for-- science, or something? Or keeping arts in the schools?"

"If we add a bunch of causes, the Human Rights Campaign won't be getting more than they're getting right now." I rolled my eyes, smiling. "Sure. We'll have causes out the wazoo."

"That's my present to you." He grinned, a fond light in his eyes. "I will give my money to help make the world a better place, like you always wanted."

"You could buy me a boat next year." I suggested.

"Don't you already have a boat?"

"I could have two. The country has two coasts. I can have one for each."

"We're liberal. We don't collect boats." He said, shaking his head in mock reproach.

"Call it bipartisanship. Um, no pun intended. With the -ship part."

He laughed again. "I think one's enough for you, Admiral. But lunch is still on me."

\---/-/---

Early that night, after we made love, Josh lay sleeping in my arms, a relaxed smile on his face. I was staying awake just a little while longer to watch him. It's late fall, coming up on winter, so his hair is a ruddy brown. It changes, with the seasons. In spring and summer, it gets really red, which I love, but I like it now, too. It's still soft, gently curling around my fingers when I stroke over the side of his head.

I traced the outer curve of his ear with one finger, ran a line along his jaw, back and forth a couple of times. Smoothed over his cheek and softly touched his lips. The smile twitched, and he turned his face into my shoulder, snuggling down against me with a contented little noise, his arm tightening around my waist. It was safe to fall asleep.

\---/-/---

After an hour's nap, we woke up again, hungry. I made roast beef sandwiches while Josh lounged on the couch in his boxers.

"It's a 'best of' show!" I heard him groan. "I *hate* 'best of' shows!"

"What's that, babe?" I sat down, handing him his sandwich and a Coke.

"The stupid anchors went on vacation!" He sighed, flinging himself back against the cushions. "So it's a 'best of' show!"

I looked at the TV-- two guys in suits sat at a desk while clips over their shoulders displayed last year's basketball season highlights. The two guys laughed at each other's jokes. The basketball failed to fascinate me.

"Well, this is stupid." Josh sighed, picking up the remote. "You wanna watch real news? Or we can see if there's a good movie on, or-- hey, Celebrity Poker!"

I chuckled, bringing an arm up around him. "Maybe *you* could entertain me..."

"Twice in one night?" He lifted his eyebrows. 

"Unless you're getting too old for it."

"Can I eat my sandwich first? You kinda wore me out earlier."

"Sure." I took a sip of my Coke, eyes on him. "Old man."

Josh finished eating in record time. I slowly set my plate down, turning to face him. The TV was off, and so were his shorts.

"Now... you said I could entertain you?" He prompted.

I walked my fingers up his side, circled one nipple, then made a line down his abdomen, resting my palm over his navel.

"If you're feeling up to it." I shrugged.

"You gonna tease me?"

In answer, I leaned in and kissed him. Hard, and long, and definitely not teasing. Josh maneouvered himself into my lap, and somewhere along the line, got me naked. I still don't know exactly how he does it sometimes... then again, knowing how isn't really important. 

Knowing how isn't important at all.

\---/-/---

For the second time that night, Josh was falling asleep in my arms, with that soft, sweet smile. I sighed and held him close, and drifted off myself. Things were going to turn out all right.

\---/-/---

~FIN~

*the song has ended, but, as the songwriter wrote; the melody lingers on*


End file.
